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Hi. Well, we are home for a couple days. We were in Nashville last week, and after a rough first day we got the
application up and running, with a few little problems, but nothing critical. Overall everyone is happy with getting
the application going, so that's great. This weekend my mom came up on Friday night. We went out to Vito's
on Friday night, which was a good time. I love their gourmet pizza. Saturday we got up and went to Jordan
Creek Towne Center, the new mall in Des Moines. It was awesome, although sort-of expensive. I just don't
like paying full price for anything. I did get a big chunk of my Christmas shopping done, so that was great.
Thursday we leave for New York. Matt is in his friend Eddie's wedding so that should be fun. We get in on
Thursday and we are there until Sunday. We are planning on going to the Giants/Lions game on Sunday,
assuming that we can get tickets (tickets are much harder to get in NY than STL!). Can't wait to see our nieces
and nephews again!! I can't believe it's been since June that we have seen them!!! I can only imagine how big
Elijah is!!! Can't wait to find out what their new hobbies and interests are, and what their new favorite colors
and foods are :) They change so much. We don't have a lot of time to spend in New York because we have to
be in Columbia, MD on Monday morning for 4 days of meetings :(
Anyway, I have some pictures that I need to post, but I haven't gotten them off my camera yet. I need an external
SD card reader to hook up to my laptop. Hope everyone is having a great week!
Tuesday, October 12th
Hello all. Matt and I are in Nashville launching the software project that we've been working on since
December. This is the first day that the users were able to use the software . . . . and it could have gone a little
better. We ran into some glitches . . . stuff we wouldn't have found until we got here, so it's no real surprise.
But, it's a disappointment because we wanted it to work when we got here, naturally. Matt worked literally all
weekend on it -- 10 hours on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. He's pretty stressed. I've been trying to help as
much as possible, but there is not much for me to do. So, please say a couple prayers for wisdom and
understanding for Matt . . . for foresight to see problems that we might have. I would appreciate that!!!
This weekend my mom is coming up so we can go check out the new Jordan Creek Town Center in Des
Moines. It's the newest mall in Iowa, and it's supposed to be pretty cool, so I'm looking forward to that. I MIGHT
be able to actually get my Christmas shopping DONE!! That would be nice.
That's about all that is going on. Just working pretty hard this week . . . will be glad to get home!! I posted some
more pics of Kirsta here.
Friday, October 1, 2004
Hello again. How is everyone? It' s raining here, but that's ok . . . we need the rain. Our grass was looking a
little sad! I talked to our landscaper today, and they are planning on starting on our yard on Monday. Yeah!! I
can't wait until that is done!! We decided on a cobblestone walkway, so that will be really nice. I'll post pictures
when it's done. Things are getting intense at work. My project that I'm managing is getting ready to kickoff on
October 11th. There are people from different parts of the country flying into Nashville, TN where we are rolling
out the application to five users. We are in the final throws of testing today and all next week. I'm staying very
calm this time and not letting myself get all stressed out about it. I have a CD by Miss Lynette Hagin playing on
Peace and I have a candle lit to create an atmosphere of peace. I'm determined NOT to get stressed out!! :)
We are going to have to work a little over the weekend. My husband can thank me for decided that! Hahaha.
Anyway, things are going great. We met up with Bob and Peggy (our friends from St. Louis) last night. They
were on their way to a wedding in Minneapolis, so they stopped and stayed over in Cedar Rapids. We took
them to Al & Irene's -- Matt's favorite place to take people, even though there is ZERO atmosphere! The food is
good! And then we all went and watched Matt's flag football game. That was entertaining :) Matt came home a
little sore afterwards . . . but what's new? This weekend we are going to try and get our new cabinet finished up
for the basement. We had made a ton of progress on it a couple weeks ago, and then we got busy all of a
sudden, and didn't have time to work on it . . . so we're back on it now! That's about all that is going on here.
Oh, I wanted to mention Marketplace Ministries. This is a financial conference that is being put on by our
church -- a place that teaches you what the Bible actually says about finances, and the God-given power to
obtain wealth! Praise the Lord! We are bringing in a well-known financial advisor as one of the speakers.
There is a bunch more information on the website, if you're interested. It's for anyone who wants to learn more
about managing money . . . men, women . . business women, entreprenuers . . . anyone. Matt and I are going,
and we would love to have some friends there!
While I'm on the topic of church events, the church is also having a Hallelujah Party on October 30th at the
Cedar Rapids Expo Center (off of Wiley SW). There will be all sorts of games and one of those jumping things .
. . baked goods, maybe face painting? Cotton candy, popcorn . . all sorts of stuff kids love. It's a great
alternative to sending your kids out in the neighborhoods -- much safer -- and trust me -- they will leave with just
as much candy as if they went trick or treating! So, bring your kids . . . there usually is a prize for the best
costumes too.
One last thing . . . got some more pictures of Kirsta. Isn't she cute? They are posted here.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Hello everyone! It's a beautiful day here in Iowa! I just got back from attending a women's conference in Tulsa,
OK at RHEMA Bible Training Center. It was AWESOME!! There were 6 girls that went down, and we just had an
amazing time. Getting away to spend some time with the Lord, time in prayer, and fellowship with your best
friends is just awesome. I got some answers on some things, and some direction from the Lord while I was
there, and I just came home changed. I love that! I will have pictures soon!
Matt had a good weekend while I was away. Our church had a men's event on Saturday at Formula Fun, where
they went and raced go-carts. They had a blast. Matt had the fastest lap of the day, and he won some free
races. He also played in a golf tournament with his friend Jim D. They won the tournament, so he was happy
about that.
There is a little rumor going around that Kim, Robert and Kirsta might be moving to Kansas!!! I'm so excited.
This would mean that I would get to see my niece a whole bunch more than when she lived in Alaska. Nothing
is for sure yet, so this might be a little pre-mature, but I hope not. Robert is hoping to get on at the IBP plant in
Kansas, and Kim might be able to work as well. Seems like a pretty good situation for them. It's still quite a
drive -- 12 hours from Cedar Rapids, but like we said when Amber moved to Kansas -- at least it's a drive. So,
we'll see. I have some new pictures of Kirsta here.
Wednesday, September 8th
Hello! Geez, guess I haven't updated in a while (thanks for reminding me Stacy!). The weekend after I got
home from Alaska, Matt and I went to my parent's house for the weekend. We were there when they got home
from their Alaska trip (they stayed a couple more days than me). My mom and I ooo'd and ahh'd over all our
pictures of Kirsta and we talked about how much we missed her. We called Kim and I told her to put the phone
up to Kirsta's ear so I could talk to her, and when I was talking to her, Kirsta let out the best little coo, and Kim
said she got a great big smile on her face. AWWW! Matt fished at my parents and my Grandma and Grandpa
Heininger came over to hear all about the trip. It was good to see them. Grandpa has been feeling better lately,
so that's good!! Later that day, we went out to CJL Landscape in Kickapoo for my cousin Jamie's daughter's
(Jenna) birthday party. She was one year old. She was so cute just diving into her cake!
The following weekend on Friday night I went out with my friends to celebrate Theresa's birthday. We went to
Mondo's Tomato Pie in Coralville. Yummy! We had a great time. If anyone knows Theresa, you know how
funny she is . . . my tummy hurt from laughing when I got home! Then on Saturday, Matt and I celebrated our
anniversary -- 1 year!! Hard to believe it's already been a year. Wow. Saturday morning we (well, Matt was
there in spirit -- he got called into work) did a SIDS walk with friends and family of Ted and Trish Borelli. Some
of you may remember that they lost their son Nate to SIDS almost 2 years ago now. It's a terrible disease, and
we were glad that we could be a part of the walk to show our support -- for Ted and Trish, and for all the
families who have lost babies to SIDS. It was great to see Owen (their 5? year old) and Ian (their 8 mos old),
and also their family -- Ted's sister Bridget and her husband Casey and their cute daughter Natalia (named
after Nate). Casey and Bridget have just moved back to CR, so hopefully we'll be seeing more of them! I won a
door prize at the walk -- gift certificates to Chilies, so after the walk Matt and I went out to lunch and then we
went to Best Buy and bought DirecTV so that we can watch all the NY Giants game this year. The Giants aren't
exactly the team of choice for the local channels in Cedar Rapids, so we got the dish. We're looking forward to
watching games at home this year. We miss Kurt and Brenda, Jesse, Zack, Kade, Jada and Elijah though!
But, it will be nice to not have to travel every other weekend. Anyway, that night we celebrated by watching
movies and making sushi at home. We wanted to start an anniversary tradition that we could do every year and
any where we were. We both love sushi, and it's so fun and so good to make at home. It was a great time. We
enjoyed making the as much as eating it! I went to the bakery and got some cupcakes just like the ones we
had at the wedding, and we had those for dessert :) Matt got me the earrings that I had to wear for the
wedding!!! For the wedding, the jeweler loaned out the earrings for me to wear -- and sneaky Matt went and
bought them for me!! The exact ones that I wore!! I am so happy to have them! I got him more golf tees like the
ones that we gave out at the wedding (because we ended up without ANY after the wedding), and also a router
for all his woodworking projects. It was a fun fun night celebrating being together. Monday, the day of our
anniversary, we went golfing after work -- another favorite of ours to do together -- and then we went out to eat at
Jonesey's in Solon . . . doesn't get much more romantic than that! Hahaha. This past weekend on Friday I went
to a George Bush Rally. It was neat to see him in real life. We were about 30 feet back. He had his wife with
him, which was neat and I thought he gave a really good speech. Afterwards, we went out to eat with Matt, Lee
Ann and Theresa -- fun! The rest of Labor Day weekend I got some cleaning done around the house, which
was really nice. Sunday we went up to Cedar Falls for Kim and John's annual golf outing. It was a lot of fun,
and Matt & I placed 2nd for the 4th time! I don't know why, but we always seem to miss 1st place by 2 strokes
or so. Anyway, we played pretty well and had beautiful weather. Monday we worked more around the house
and Matt started a new woodworking project -- building a bar/cabinet for the basement! It's going to be
awesome. Somehow we ended up with the bartop from the old Mondo's in Iowa City (the one that burnt down),
so I am refinishing it and Matt is building the rest. Should be pretty cool and it provides us more storage, which
is always a good thing for us! That's about it for now. Kim has sent more pictures of Kirsta, so I hope to post
those soon.
Tuesday, August 17th
Hello! Wow, I just got back from Alaska. I have the most beautiful niece in the world!!! I created a whole page
just for pictures of her. Click to go to Kirsta's page. I just loved being with her!
Our trip:
My sister Kim, who lives in Alaska, got married this past weekend and my mom, dad and I were there for the
occasion, and also to visit our precious Kirsta. We flew into Anchorage on Thursday night. I arrived earlier than
they, so I went to the hotel and got a couple zzz's before they arrived. We had a quick night's sleep before we
were up and moving again. We stayed at a hotel that had a very nice breakfast buffet, so we ate there and then
we hit the road. Anchorage is 5 hours from Kim's, but we thought that we would get to see a lot of scenery if we
drove from Anchorage, and we did. We were able to see Mt. McKinley, which is the highest mountain in North
America. We did not see much wildlife though. Apparently there are tons of moose and caribou in Alaska, but
we didn't really see any. I saw one in the dark one night, but we couldn't really see it. When we arrived in Healy
(where my sister lives), we checked in and my mom and I went shopping at "Glitter Gultch", which is a
nickname for a tourist area with little shops and things. We found some pretty cool stuff there (of course). Kim
had spent the morning driving to Fairbanks to get the wedding cake and the flowers. Fairbanks is about 2
hours away from them. When she got to the store to pick up the cake, they didn't have record of her order, and
they had to make it while she waited. So, she wasn't able to be at the Denali RV Park & Motel when we arrived.
When she arrived, she came with Robert (aka "R-Dub") and Kirsta. I fell in love with Kirsta immediately. She is
the best baby I've ever seen! She does not really get fussy. She lets you know when she is hungry or needs a
diaper change, and that is about it. The rest of the time she spends sleeping and smiling. Oh, she is so cute.
I miss her already. Anyway, Friday night we had dinner with Kim, R-Dub and Kirsta and then we went over to
R-Dub's Dad's house for a shower. I had put together a long distance shower for Kim, so she had all the gifts
there that had been sent to her and she and Robert opened them. Wow, they got some really nice gifts. If you
are reading this and you sent a shower gift, I want to thank-you because it really incredible to see the response
that we had. Thank you for making that so special for Kim! Also, the winners for the shower games were:
1st person to return: Dolly Golden
1st person to return word scramble correctly: Lonye Gilles
Most words out of KIRSTA NICOLE DIBBLE: Hazel Hamilton
Best sportsmanship: Pete Gambetti
The shower went on quite late, and R-Dub left and went to his bachelor party that his friends were throwing for
him. We got home about and to sleep at about 1:30 AM (4:30 Central time!). Kim and Kirsta stayed with us that
night. The next morning my mom and I got up and walked up a mountain! We didn't go that far, but it was fun.
We found some awesome rocks, and I learned what a rock enthusiast that my mom is! After walking, my mom
and dad went over to Bob and Jan's (R-Dub's Dad and step-mom's house). I took care of Kirsta while Kim got
some more sleep in preparation for her big day. I gave her a manicure and pedicure and she was ready to go!
After Kim left, I got ready and then I gave Kirsta a bath. She LOVES baths. After her bath, we got her all dressed
up in her wedding outfit, and then she went to sleep, and she pretty much didn't wake up until well after the
wedding.
The wedding was really nice. It took place out in Bob and Jan's backyard. Jan had made an arbor out of willow
branches, and they decorated it with flowers. Kim looked beautiful in her dress. She also looked very happy,
so that was good. The wedding was very simple, very casual. I was the maid of honor, and one of R-Dub's
friends was the best man. That was sort-of a funny story because the original best man didn't show up in time,
so Troy was the backup best man. When he got there he had a black eye from a fight he had been in the night
before. The girl who did Kim's makeup did her best to cover his black eye. I held Kirsta during the wedding,
which is another funny story. Kim and Robert wrote their own vowes, which was very nice. After Kim got done
with her vows, Kirsta lets out a loud toot! It made for a good chuckle.
After their wedding, they had their first dance and the best man gave a toast. We had a great buffet dinner
which included moose meat, turkey, ribs, potato salad, pasta salad, and salmon sushi! The food was all really
nice. That leads me to the cake story. After Kim waited in Fairbanks for them to make her cake, she put in her
car and drove to Healy (2 hour drive without air conditioning). And what happened to the cake? Well, I never
saw personally what happened to it, but apparently the icing completely melted off. So, they had to take it to
someone in Healy on Saturday and have it re-iced. It ended up turning out beautifully, and now we can laugh
about it, but Kim sure didn't think it was funny at the time! Anyway, they cut the cake and it was delicious. After
the traditional garter/bouqet toss, they opened presents. Again they received some really nice gifts. That pretty
much wrapped up the wedding. We had offered to keep Kirsta on their wedding night, so we took her back and
hung out with her the rest of the night. She only got up once during the night -- such a good baby!
On Sunday morning, my mom and I took Kirsta with us on our shopping trip to Glitter Gultch. We found some
more great things, and had a nice time. Once again, Kirsta was so good. We only had to stop and feed her
once, and other than that she just slept and smiled! Kim came over later and took us through some of Denali
National Park, which was neat. We couldn't see Mt. MckKinley though. There was a lot of smoke from all the
forest fires they are having. We also didn't see any wildlife! Couldn't believe it! Then Kim took us to see the
salmon that were supposed to be swimming upstream, but they weren't there either. Bummer. We went and
saw Kim and R-Dub's cabin, which was nice. They have a one-room cabin with a loft. They can't stay there
much longer though because winter is coming! R-Dub is looking for a job in Fairbanks -- hopefully something
with some stability and benefits! We went out to eat at the North Star, where we saw some of the Hells Angels!
Oh my gosh! I volunteered to keep Kirsta another night and yea (!!!) Kim said ok. I could just about kick myself
for not taking my video camera and get some shots of her! Man!! How big will she be the next time I see her??
:(
Monday we went to Fairbanks and helped Kim and R-Dub spend some of their gift cards from the shower.
They got a TON of stuff for Kirsta -- almost all Winnie-the-Pooh stuff. Kirsta is going to think it's her birthday with
all that stuff! It was fun helping them shop. They also got some stuff for their house and other things. We
spent most of the day at Wal-Mart. I fed Kirsta twice in one day at Wal-Mart! Afterwards, my mom and dad took
me to the airport. Man, it was hard to tell that little baby goodbye. It's hard knowing that she is so far away, but I
promised her that I would keep in touch! My parents come home on Thursday. After my mom and I compile
our pictures, I'll get them posted.
Friday, August 6th
Hello! Wow, what a week. Amber arrived on Sunday and it's been go-go ever since. On Monday night she went
golfing with her dad and had a blast. Tuesday night we took Kiona (her best friend from here) and her to Planet
X, which has things like rock climbing, laser tag, bumper cars, mini-golf, and spaceball. The girls had a blast,
and we took pictures, and I'll get them posted soon. Matt and I climbed the rock wall, and it was a challenge!
We did one of the hardest levels, and it's was fun, but challenging! We played laser tag with them as well, and I
found out that I could use some improvement in the cardio area!! We had a great time. She spent Monday and
Tuesday with Grandpa Gene while we worked. Wednesday she spent with Grandma Sue and they went
shopping and got their fingernails done. Wednesday night we all went to church. Yesterday Amber spent the
day with Grandma Mimi and had lunch at the Olive Garden and got her toenails done. So, if nothing else, her
nails look great!! :) Last night we took her horseback riding. She had a blast. She loves horses and animals.
She has wanted to go horseback riding for a long time, so we were glad that we were able to get that in!! We
took her last summer too, and she just loves it. Tonight she asked if we could "just hang out". So, that is what
we are going to do. That's all she wants to do tomorrow too, so that's what we'll be doing. Just hanging out
with Amber :) She goes back on Sunday :(
For those of you who know our friends Brian and Stacy, their little one Ellie is currently in the hospital. She has
some boils that she had to have surgically removed, so please pray that she continues to recover and is back
home soon!
Wednesday July 21st
Well, I promised pictures and I did deliver on my promise, but a little late! You can look at our Muskego
Vacation trip pictures here. Things have been crazy around here lately, but hopefully they will start to slow down
now. I've been in a Training Workshop for 2 days, and I have one more day left. I'm learning more about
Project Management and I'm enjoying it. Matt is getting ready to go to Canada. Can you believe it? He already
gets to go on vacation again and this time without me! Hahaha. That's ok, he needs his "guy" trip. I get to go to
Alaska in August, so I'm not complaining!! :) Speaking of Alaska, my sister had her baby on June 29, 2004.
Baby Kirsta Nicole Dibble was 8 lbs. 15 oz and 21" long. You can see a picture here. I can't wait to go see my
first niece (well, from my side of the family anyway!).
That's about it for now. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bed! Hope everyone is doing well and keep in touch!!
Wednesday, July 7th
Hello there! I was hoping to have pictures ready to post today, but I haven't had time to get them organized for
the website yet. Hopefully I'll have some time tonight or tomorrow. Anyway, our vacation was GREAT!! It was
so relaxing. We went to Muskego Point Resort, which is in Cook, Minnesota on beautiful Lake Vermilion. This
is the same resort that Matt used to come to when he was a kid with his Dad and Mimi. It's obvious that it's a
very special place! We stayed in a cabin named Evergreen, which had its own dock and boat house. The kids
fished off the dock for hours catching 3 and 4 inch bluegills, and having the time of their lives doing it! Matt and
Joe got up at the crack of dawn each morning to go fishing while Julie and I slept until at least 9 AM every day.
We would have good flavored coffee each morning and most days we didn't even get out of our pj's until 12. It
was heaven! :) The guys would get back from fishing and we would eat breakfast. Most days the guys would
take a nap while we took the kids to the beach. They played in the water and in the sand. Towards the end of
the week we had some really awesome weather, and the kids were able to go tubing. Amber said that was the
most fun part of the trip (she had a couple of most fun things!). We cooked in every meal, and we had some
awesome meals! One night we were able to eat fish because we caught enough to eat. One day Matt took me
up to a place north on the lake and we fished together. I caught my first walleye! Yeah! It was fun to catch him.
The kids just loved being there. They always had something to do. If we were in the cabin, they were playing
board games . . . like Dominos, Uno Blitzo, or Knowledge. Outside, they played badminton, baseball, or just
tag. Megan and Amber kept a pet turtle for the week. It was a tiny little baby turtle that they made a little home
for. Megan loved riding in the "FAST" boat. She just wanted to drive around in the boats. We took 2 boats and a
couple times we would all go out in the boats and fish. The kids loved fishing. Julie even enjoyed it, I think.
She mostly liked just seeing the lake though, I think. Joe said he learned a lot about fishing, and he enjoyed
catching a few northern pikes. Nickolas caught a 3 lb bass, but he thought it was a 10 pounder! He's already a
good fisherman!! We also got to spend some time with Grant and Judy, who are the owners of the resort and
have known Matt since he was 8 or so. They are the sweetest people you will ever meet and lots of fun! Judy
took us all around her house and showed the kids the playhouse that she has, and the HUGE swing and she
made Megan special 4th of July decorations for her flip-flops. Grant told us scary stories about bears getting
into the cabins and gave us all a good laugh. Judy took the kids out on the lake where they found a lune and its
baby, and Nickolas was able to "communicate" with the lune. Man, he was funny. We saw some families of
ducks too, not to mention all the eagles that we saw, the pelicans, herons, the huge buck, and even a
hummingbird outside our window! We watched movies at night and we ate like kings and queens the whole
time! It was an awesome vacation, and we've already made our reservations for next year! Stayed tuned for
pictures . . .
Monday, June 21st
Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. Man, things have been crazy around here . . . lots of fun though! The
last time I wrote we were getting ready for the First Things First Ultimate Football Experience. This is a flag
football tournament in which you bring a team of 6 guys and you get an NFL player for your quarterback. It's a
pretty cool deal. The event helps raise money for Kurt and Brenda's foundation, First Things First. This was the
second annual event, and Matt has been fortunate enough to get asked to be on a team both years. He
absolutely loves it. The way he prepares and everything, you would think he was playing in the NFL!! The night
before there is an event at Dave and Buster's in which all the teams compete on different games (basketball
shoot, pool, racing, etc) for draft picks. After the competition, a quarterback draft is held -- the team scoring the
most points in the competition getting the first "draft pick" and so on. This year's NFL players included Phil
Simms, Sterling Sharpe, Mark Bulger, Ricky Proehl and of course, Kurt. The first two years the event was held at
Rams park. When the players arrive on game day, they walk into the locker room, and their names are on the
lockers, and their jersey's are hanging there, plus they get a bag stuffed full of gifts -- CD's, books, a football,
t-shirts . . . this year they even got some cool Nike sandals. It's just awesome. This year it ended up Matt's
team and Kurt's team in the Championship game, and as I'm sure we'll hear at every holiday gathering for
many years to come . . . MATT's team won. You only have to be around Matt and Kurt about .5 seconds to figure
out they are some of the most competitive people you'll ever meet (but in a good, friendly way :) so that was a
HUGE victory for Matt that I'm sure he plans on getting a lot of mileage out of. Before leaving for the tournament,
we got to watch Zack, Kade and Jada for a night. They had been up here all week going back and forth
between grandparents' houses, and then we got to keep them on Thursday night. It was so much fun. Of
course, Uncle Matt took them fishing. We got some cute pictures of that, and even a movie (I think you have to
watch it with QuickTime Player). After fishing, Kade and Jada fell asleep in the car on the way home . . . and
Kade pretty much went to bed when he got here! That was a bummer, but he must have needed the sleep. So
Jada and I watched Scooby Doo and part of Snow White and drank chocolate milk and ate Cheetos while Uncle
Matt watched the NBA Finals and chatted with Zack who was completely absorbed with our radio. The ride
down to St. Louis was not like any other time we've ever driven down there, having 3 kids in the car, but it was
fun. We watched Cinderella and read Dinosaur books and ate Happy Meals. Yeah, that's quite different from
what we're used to, but we had a blast!
On Monday, Matt's boss came into town and let us leave early from work to go to Formula Fun and race
go-karts. It was a lot of fun and a nice break from the normal routine. I have some pics . We played golf after
racing, and my round has me determined to either take lessons or quit the game altogether. I'm not really
ready to thrown in the towel on the game, so I guess I'm going to take lessons (not sure when that is going to fit
in the schedule!!)
This weekend we left work on Friday for Morton. We took my Dad out for Father's Day on Friday night. On
Saturday, they were hosting a Fishing Derby. A bunch of the relies came over and later that night they had a fish
fry. We wanted to stay for all the fun, but we needed to get home and start getting ready for vacation! It's hard to
believe that we leave for Muskego on Friday! We can hardly wait, but we also have quite a bit to do before we
go. Amber gets here on Wednesday and we leave after work on Friday. Our friends Joe and Julie and their
kids are coming with us, and it's going to be a blast. We are taking 2 boats -- one that we can water ski behind.
We are staying in a cabin that you have to take a boat to get to because it's on an island. There is a beach and
a dock . .. should be a lot of fun.
Monday, June 7th
We are back from a great weekend! We went to Chicago on Friday night and had a blast. We went to Bass Pro
Shops, which is in Gurnee, IL -- right next to a HUGE outlet/indoor mall. I dropped Matt off at BPS and went to
the mall. We got there pretty late though and almost everything was closed. I definitely think I need to go back
there again soon. We got some neat stuff at BPS -- mostly cooking stuff (go figure!). Afterwards, went out for
sushi. Yummy! It was so good, and the perfect late-night meal. We stayed in a Westin, which is probably my
favorite chain hotel. I love the Heavenly Bed and Bath. It was heavenly! We had planned on getting up early
and going to IKEA when they opened at 9, but we didn't set an alarm, and when I woke up it was 8:50!! Oops,
guess I needed the sleep (or maybe it was just that awesome bed!). So, we got a later start than we wanted,
but that was ok -- we weren't on a real big schedule. We got everything we went for at IKEA. Matt customized a
wardrobe for his liking, we got Amber a loft bed and a mirror for my new bathroom (now it's complete!). It was a
good trip -- of course I could have spent probably 3 more hours in that store, but we got what we came for. After
all that we had worked up a pretty good appetite, and we met my friend Monica (my maid of honor at the
wedding) for lunch. She lives in Chicago, so that was great that we got to meet up. We ate at Pappadeaux's,
which is one of Matt's all-time favorites. It was great to see Monica and catch up with her. She is doing great.
Then we were on to Nordstom's Rack, but didn't have much luck there. Neither of us were really in a huge
shopping mood by this time, so we decided to browse through the Home Expo Center and head home (not
without stopping for Ben & Jerry's ice cream first!). On the way home, we listened to a great book -- The
Summons by John Grisham. We aren't done with it yet, but it's keeping us on the edge of our seat! We also
decided to stop in Davenport at Gordman's. Whoa. We did some major shopping there. I can't even tell you
what all we got there, but I can say that Matt got more than me!!! Hahaha. We both got a couple new swimsuits
and some dress clothes. That was a great way to finish up the trip. We were talking on Friday night about how
much we enjoy being together and how much we just love being married. It probably sounds corny, but we are
as much in love as we were the first two weeks of knowing each other. Our spark has never faded (as some
suggested it might after marriage). Nope, we LOVE being married and spending time together. It doesn't really
matter what we are doing, we just like being together. Sure we like to have our times apart too, but we are
happiest when we are together.
Anyway, when we got home -- GUESS WHAT?? Yep, the stump was GONE!!! FINALLY!! Wow, that was a
surprise. Now we can get our landscaping projects going! Yeah!! We went and got some dirt yesterday and
starting filling the holes so we can have some sod laid. Also yesterday Matt put some new steps in off our
deck. We need them badly, and they look so nice!
Kade, Jada and Zack are here this week while K&B go house shopping in NY. We got to see them last night,
and they are just so much fun. We're watching them on Tuesday night again, and sometime this week we are
taking them fishing for catfish. That will be fun. Friday night we are taking them back with us when we go down
for the Kurt Warner Ultimate Football Experience! Fun fun!
Friday, June 4th
I think just about everyone has heard now, but just in case you haven't, we are officially NY GIANTS FANS!!! See
the pics here! We are thrilled that Kurt has found somewhere that he at least has a chance to play. And . . . we
just happen to already have a trip to New York planned this October . . . and the Giants just happen to be
playing at home that weekend!! Hahaha. We might catch a game or two when they are around here -- like
maybe the Packers game (that should be a good one). They play Chicago, but it's at New York. Too bad they
don't play St. Louis!! They also play at Dallas -- we know we have a place to stay if we go there (right Joel???).
So, it should be a fun year. Wouldn't it be awesome to see them go all the way to the BIG DANCE again??? I'm
already pumped and it's only June! Matt and I are going to see if we can find a store that sells Giants gear
around here. By the way, any die-hard Rams fans need some Rams gear -- we have TONS of it!!!
Please keep Kurt and his family lifted up in prayer. He is going to be picking up his family of 5 and moving
across the country to a HUGE city . . . and they have to find a house, schools for the kids, doctors, a church . . .
they completely have to get re-established in a new place, so please keep them in your prayers for a very
smooth transition.
With that, Matt and I are off to Chicago! Somehow I agreed to going to Bass Pro Shops first (tonight) and then
we're going to have dinner somewhere really good -- either Chicago-style pizza or sushi, and tomorrow we are
going to IKEA and Woodfield Mall. Matt was actually the one who said he wanted to go to Woodfield!!!
Whoo-hoo!! Like one of my friends said, he might have fallen and hit his head, but I'm running with it!!! Hope
everyone has a good weekend!
Tuesday, June 1st
Wow, it's hard to believe that our holiday weekend has come and gone already! We had a great week this past
week. We really enjoyed Dr. Dufresne and Pastor Nancy Dufresne. I again learned so much from them. We
had a great time preparing meals and everything too. It was a good time. We saw a lot of people get healed of
different things, and that was totally awesome. I hope they will come back again soon!
Saturday morning Matt went golfing with Ted B., Robb L., and Greg B. They had a great time, and got some sun
too! We talked about going to a movie or something Saturday night, but there really wasn't anything in the
theaters that we want to see. So, what did we do instead? We went to Menard's. Romantic, huh? Hahaha.
Matt got some materials so we can start getting our deck cleaned up and the stairs fixed and stuff. Plus we got
some things to plant in a garden. I have never had a garden of my own, so I'm excited to get one started. The
only thing is Matt is going to have to spray, spray, spray for weeds because I have already gotten poison
ivy/sumac or whatever 3 times this year. I just got rid of the last batch of it, and then did some yard work on
Saturday and bam . . . it's back. When I get to heaven, I'm going to ask God why he needed to put poison
ivy/sumac on the earth?
Sunday we went to a great service at church and later that evening (after the thunderstorms/tornadoes passed
over us) we went over to Ted & Trish's for a BBQ. It was a lot of fun and I got my baby fix from Ian. He is so
adorable. He is real fair skinned and has bright blue eyes. That's funny because none of them have blue eyes,
except for Ted's dad I think Trish said. Owen was a lot of fun too. We played games and had a great time.
Yesterday (Memorial Day) Matt got really busy on our garage. He's getting it all organized and he's going to get
a shed to put out back so we can move some of the stuff out of the garage. That will be nice!
All in all, we are doing well. We are very happily married and we just enjoy one another so much. In some
ways it feels like we have been married so much longer than 9 months and in other ways it feels like we just
got married yesterday and it's hard to believe in only 3 short months it will be one year.
This coming weekend we are headed to Chicago to do some shopping and maybe catch a Cub's game. Hope
everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!
Tuesday, May 25
Hello! Matt and I had a GREAT weekend this past weekend. We have some friends who gave us a "weekend
getaway" stay in their guest room of their house, and we took them up on it this past weekend. Wow. They live
in an area called Innsbrook, which is outside of St. Louis. They live on a country club, and their house is
burrowed in the woods. They have done some fantastic landscaping, and the house sits nicely on a lake. The
house is gorgeous on the inside, with a fabulous kitchen. Around back, they have built on an upper and lower
deck, which is beautiful. I have posted pictures here. While we were there, they fed us like we were kings!
When we arrived, they had caramel cheesecake with pecans ready for us -- very yummy! Saturday morning we
got up and had a wonderful breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, bacon and gooey butter cakes! They are
a St. Louis special -- and they were very tasty!! (Very fattening too, but that's ok -- we were on vacation!!). We
played golf at the beautiful golf course that they live on. The landscaping was so pretty, and they had all types of
birds -- like Purple Martins -- flying around. The golf game itself wasn't quite on par, but we enjoyed it anyway.
We had great weather for it. The rest of the afternoon we basically relaxed. We fished the lake some. I caught
a catfish, and I had another one on the line but the line broke! I'm pretty sure it was like a 50 lb catfish or
something :) We had a feast for dinner and another wonderful homemade dessert -- tiramasu! Yummy!
Sunday morning we had another wonderful breakfast and then we were off. Thanks Bob and Peggy for an
awesome weekend getaway!!!
We went to service at St. Louis Family Church where we were pleasantly surprised to find out that Christine
Caine was preaching that morning. She is an awesome preacher from Australia. I've heard her before at a
Joyce Meyer's women's conference that I went to -- although I didn't realize that until Sunday night. We were
totally blessed by her preaching. After service we went out for lunch with K & B and the kids. It's always so
much fun to be around the kids. All Kade talked about was fishing -- which of course made Matt's day! In case
anyone is wondering, Jada's favorite color is NOT pink anymore!! Now it is light blue and yellow :) Hahaha. I
did bring my camera on this trip, so I have some pictures of Elijah and Jada posted here. We had a great
weekend, and we almost hated to come home.
However, this week is going to be a great week! We have Dr. Ed Dufresne coming to town again, and this time
his wife, Pastor Nancy Dufresne is coming too. They are both such awesome ministers, and we can't wait to
be in their services. Last time Dr. Dufresne came, I learned SO MUCH and I'm excited to hear him again. I'll
also be helping in the kitchen again to prepare meals for the ministers. It was so much fun last time, and I'm
sure it will be a blessing again. They will be here Wed -- Friday. If you live in the area, I encourage you to come.
Service times are Wed 7pm, Thurs. 10 am & 7 pm, Fri 10 am & 7 pm. Pastor Nancy will be preaching at the
morning services, and you don't want to miss her!
Also, if you're interested in buying good food for less money, check out Angel Food! You can view a .pdf file
here to get all the information for June.
Monday, May 17th
Hello! What a weekend! We started our weekend by donating blood at the Old Capital Mall in Iowa City. I
started doing this in March in honor of Jordan and all kids who rely on blood transfusions. This time Matt came
with me, and we are dedicated to doing it regularly now. We found out that they are in such need of blood that
the blood that we donated on Friday would be used by Saturday morning! Wow. We also found out that they
only had 24 people donate the whole day on Friday. Out of all the thousands of people in Iowa City, 24 came
and donated blood. Wow again. It's something almost everyone can give, it means so much to the recipient,
but there just seems to be no awareness of it or something. I encourage all those who read this site to find out
how you can start donating too. It can be a lifesaver.
After donating blood, we went over to Matt's mom's house. Kurt and Brenda came back this past weekend to
do a fundraiser (more on that later), and so we hung out with them, Kade, Jada and Elijah on Friday night. It
was so good to spend time with them. It had been too long since we've seen them . . . Elijah has grown so
much!!! He's HUGE!!! (in a good, healthy way). Kade is growing up so much, and now Jada seems to be
taking on the same characteristics that I used to see in Kade. Jada and Kade are so close and they are so fun
to watch together. We ate pizza and talked for a while and then came home. Saturday morning Matt went
fishing (caught 15 bass) and then he joined Kurt and the family for "Punt, Pass & Kick", which is an event in
which Kurt and Brenda teach special needs kids how to "Punt, Pass and Kick". Matt enjoyed it a lot.
Saturday night was the fundraiser. The event benefited Basket of Hope ministries, which is an organization
who takes baskets filled with bibles, journals, books, stuffed animals, etc. to children & families who have
recently been diagnosed with cancer or other serious illnesses. The idea is to give each family a "Vision of
Hope" in one of the toughest times of their lives. I am excited about the organization. Kurt and Brenda have
actually been involved with this ministry for 3 years, and they deliver baskets to children in St. Louis. Now
Renee Smith and other Iowans are trying to get the program started at the University of Iowa Hospitals, and the
benefit on Saturday was to help the new program get started. The event included a silent auction, Christian
artist Cheri Keaggy , local vocalists and Kurt and Brenda as guest speakers. Their speech was on "Together
We're Better" and it was really good. Jesse came to the event and that was the only time that we really got to
spend with her. She is such an awesome young lady. She's not too thrilled about moving (as they are
inevitably going to have to do), so we'll just have to keep her lifted up in prayer that she adjusts quickly. Anyway,
the event was great. We won a few items in the silent auction, which was cool. Got a couple oil changes and
some Tastefully Simple foods.
Sunday morning we had a whole section at church with all the family and friends that we had there. It was
awesome. I love being able to worship the Lord when I'm surrounded by family and friends. It blessed me
beyond words. After church the troupe headed over to Gene and Mimi's where we had lunch and good
fellowship. The kids caught fish out of Gene's pond and Elijah puked all over everyone. Haha. He's the puke
monster! Sadly, we didn't have our camera with us . . . so I have NO pictures (Wah!!!). Sorry about that. We
took our digital camera to work last week because we needed it there, and then we accidentally left it there.
Hence why I haven't posted pics of the lovely bathroom and bedroom which are finally complete! :) The kitchen
and the downstairs bath are the only rooms left! ;)
Believe it or not, the stump in our front yard is STILL THERE. I've called and called. I've asked to speak to the
owner. All to no avail. This may sound silly, but please pray that they will come and take our stump! We want
to get our landscaping going!!! One good thing: our gutter man is here now putting on our gutters!!! YEAH!!!!
Tuesday, May 4th
Today is a good day! I can't even remember what all we did last week, but I know it was good. I've finally had
some time to spend cleaning my house and stuff, so that sure has been nice! Last time my mom was here
she suggested that we get a cleaning lady and I'm thinking that's a good idea. Just someone to come in and
help out a little. We are also finally getting gutters up on the house this week, so in some people's minds that
is an exciting thing. Haha. No, it is because we needed to get gutters up before we can start the landscaping.
The other thing that needs to happen is the huge stump that is still in our yard still needs to come out. Can you
believe that? The company who came and removed our trees LAST SUMMER said they would come back for
the stump . . . and they never did! We have called and called and called and told them that if they don't come
take it out, we aren't paying our bill . . . doesn't seem to matter to them. So, we are just praying for favor with
them that they will come and get that stump! Then we can really get going on the landscaping!
Last weekend Matt and I and our friends Jay and Michelle and their kids went camping. Matt and I had not really
spent any QT together for 3 weekends in a row, so we really needed last weekend. It was so nice. We set-up
camp and then went on a hike. We stayed on the trail for the most part . . . but then we got adventurous and
went through the woods! We got to a creek and he had to carry me over it because he had his rubber boots on
and it was really muddy (I just had tennis shoes on). It was fun . . . and I was covered head to toe, so there
should be no poison ivy showing up! After our hike, we went out on the boat for a while. It was a little chilly on
the water, but when we got back into a cove out of the wind, it wasn't bad. Very relaxing. We came back and
made dinner, played bocce ball and made a BIG fire. It got pretty cold at night, but we stayed close to the fire
and made marshmallows and smores (yummy!!). We both slept in long underwear, sleeping bags and lots of
blankets, and we stayed warm all night! It was a great night. Sunday we went to church and that afternoon we
went to the indoor go kart place again with Matt and Lee Ann. It was so much fun . . . but we need to be more
careful! Lee Ann and I both ended up with bruises! Hahaha. Afterwards, we went to eat at the Texas
Roadhouse (yum yum!) and had a great time. It was a good weekend.
Oh, I also wanted to mention Angel Food Ministries. There was a huge article about it in the Cedar Rapids
Gazette on Friday, April 30th. I want to scan the article and post it here. Angel Food is a program that sells
name-brand food at discount prices. Each month you order a "unit' of food, which is enough to feed a family of
4 for a week, or an older person for a month. The food is good food, and if you went to the store and priced it
out, it's around $50 - 60 worth of food, and you buy it for $25. It includes all different type of meat (chicken, pork,
steak), veggies, fruit, bread/rolls, and usually a dessert. There are also meat specials you can get as well. It's
also a fundraiser for the church because for each unit that is sold, the church receives $1. SFFC is the host
site for Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. If you would like more information you can visit this link:
http://www.soffc.org/afm/
Tuesday, April 27th
Ah, finally I can sit down and relax! Last weekend was our church's women's conference, and it was awesome.
We put a lot of time and effort into it, and it paid off! I tell you what, there is just nothing like getting away and
spending some time with God. For people who have known me for years, that might be weird to hear me say
that, but it's true! God has a purpose and a plan for each of us, and He wants us to draw near to Him so He
can reveal it to us. He's not going to force you to listen to Him, He leaves it up to you to go to Him and get it. So
many women received answers to prayers, direction in their lives, and healing in their bodies. We saw
miracles right before our eyes. Does this sound a little radical? Well, it is. You have to get radical if you want
radical results. Some people think God is off far-far-away just observing what's going on down here on Earth
and judging people for their wrongs. God is here with us! His Holy Spirit lives in us, and is talking to us all the
time if we would listen. God sent his Son to forgive our sins . . . and He has already forgiven our sins. He's just
waiting to wrap His arms around us and tell us how much He loves us. He has wisdom that He wants to give
freely, and He has plans to prosper us. God is a good God. OK, I just had to get that out.
Rev. Kate McVeigh was one of the guest ministers at the conference, and she is just such an awesome
minister. Her preaching is so easy to understand and so practical, I just love it. The conference was over on
Saturday, but she was preaching in another town about 45 minutes from here on Sunday night, so Matt and I
drove over and listened to her there. Matt couldn't go to the women's conference, so I was glad he still got to
hear her. Our friends Brian and Stacy went with us too. Stacy was at the women's conference and she liked
Rev. McVeigh so much that she wanted Brian to go too, so we all went! It was fun, and she delivered another
great message! I strongly encourage anyone who has an opportunity to hear her to go! She's also on 61 radio
stations across the country, if you're interested. Her radio schedule can be viewed at
http://www.katemcveigh.org/radio.htm. She's also on the Church Channel on DirectTV on Sundays at 4:00 CST
(I think).
Yesterday we started golf league. I did pretty well for my first time out. I was hitting the ball in the air, so that's a
plus! I had one par and a few boggy's, so not too bad for the first time out. It was really windy though. That's
about all that is happening here. Jordan is continuing to do well since his transplant and we just keep him
lifting up in prayer constantly! Till next time . . .
Monday, April 19th
Hello. Well, Matt got home from his golf trip late last night (delayed flight). He's all tan and I'm doing my best
not to be jealous! He had a great time, even though they had windy weather. He came home with more
spending money than he started with, so that's got to be a good sign, right?
My mom and I got all the furniture painting done as well as the sewing. The furniture looks great and I think the
room looks great! I'll be posting pictures soon. Thursday night we went out for a "birthday dinner" at Panera. It
was yummy. Friday night we went out to Biaggi's with Mimi, also to celebrate my birthday, and Saturday night I
celebrated with Lee Ann, Shingai, Theresa and friends. It was a lot of fun! Thanks everyone!
Matt leaves for Columbia, MD tomorrow. Bummer that we only have one night together and then he takes off
again. This weekend is finally the women's conference. I am so excited for it! Theresa, Connie, Steve and I all
got together yesterday afternoon and put together the door prizes for the conference. Man, there are some nice
prices in there! It's going to be so much fun, I can hardly wait. So much planning goes into these things, but at
least it's not like a wedding that only lasts one day.
Work is going well for both of us. We are pretty busy right now, which is a good thing. We are working on
rolling out our new software to our first customer. Lots of work, but it's been fun too.
Saturday was Jordan's garage sale. We decided to forego our planned summer garage sale and just donate
everything to Jordan's garage sale. I haven't heard if it was a huge success yet, but I'm sure that it was. They
had a TON of stuff! As for Jordan, he is doing pretty well. Susan says that he's taking the first round of chemo
pretty good. The next round is supposed to be tougher, but we are believing that his body is going to respond
favorably! Please keep him in your prayers this week. His transplant in on Wednesday.
Monday, April 12th
Wow, time just flies doesn't it? Every time I go to update this web page it seems like so much has happened
since the last time! Maybe more frequent updates would help? Hmm . . . note to self: more updates.
Well, our bathroom is near completion. Don't forget to check out the bathroom pics! We got TONS done last
week . . . walls painted, floor installed, vanity installed, toilet installed, and the shower tile installed. We still
have to get the baseboard up, buy and install a mirror and a few other little things, but we are REALLY close
now!
This weekend my mom is coming up for what I'm calling "Trading Spaces at the Warner House". We are going
to do a fixup on our master bedroom including making pillows, painting furniture, hanging vases, making a
dresser runner, and more! Our carpender Matt (aka "Ty") is building some new nightstands, and I have new
lamps to put up too. Going to be fun, fun, fun. Once our bedroom is done, on to Amber's room! She wants a
refresh to her "pretty in pink:" room. That fun will begin in May :)
This weekend Matt leaves for Dallas for a golf outing with some of his friends: Rob. R, and James D., and I
don't know who else. He went last year and a had a blast, so now they've decided to make it an annual thing.
I'm sure they will have a good time. He comes home on Sunday and leaves again on Tuesday for Columbia.
Then we he gets back, I'll be off to our women's conference, which I'm so excited about. I am the "Advertising
Coordinator" for the conference, and it's been a lot of fun. I'm so excited to spend 3 days just hearing the Word
and being refreshed! Not that there won't be a lot of work to do too, as of course I'm helping with all the "behind
the scenes" stuff, but it will be great. Four of us got a hotel room and we're going to have a great time just
getting away. Matt is going to my parents while I'm at the conference. We must still be newlyweds because I
get sad thinking I won't see him all that time!
We had a great Easter. Last weekend we celebrated Easter with my family. We spent the weekend at my
parents' house and had a great time. Friday night we went out to the Fish House, which is always good.
Saturday my mom and I went shopping while Matt and my dad played golf. Matt got some fishing in on their
lake before we left for a birthday party for Brian H. After the party, Matt and I and Scott and Angela went to "TNT"
to watch the Final Four. TNT is apparently the new Morton hangout because I saw a bunch of people there that
I went to high school with, so that was cool. This weekend we went to Sue and Tom's house on Saturday night.
We had a good dinner and played "Scene It" afterwards. Easter morning we went to church and had a great
service and then we went out to Gene and Mimi's for brunch, which was fantastic. Afterwards we took a little
nap, watched the end of the Master's, and then hung out and Matt cut all the wood for my nightstands on Gene's
table saw. We talked to Amber and she seems to be back in the swing of things at home. Man, we miss her.
That's about all that's going on here. The end of the month we are going camping! YEAH! Camping season is
here!!
Monday, March 29th
Happy Birthday Katie Streib!!
Wow, that week with Amber just flew by! We had a great time, but hard to believe we had to put her back on a
plane again today. I'm working from home today and it just seems empty without her here. When she got here
on Monday we came home and made her one of her favorites . . . tortellini. Tuesday, after sleeping until 10:45,
she got to spend some of the day with Grandpa Gene. Tuesday night we made her another one of her favorites
. . . sirloin. We played board games and watched a movie. Wednesday she and I spent the morning together . .
. I was working, and she was helping me :) We went out to lunch and she played on the computer the rest of
the afternoon until Grandma Sue came and picked her up. They had a special dinner at Olive Garden before
she went to church. She had a good time at Children's Church with all her friends there. After church, she went
back to Grandma's to spend the night. Thursday Grandma took her shopping. Thursday evening we took her
out to eat to Cancun (another favorite), and then took her to Grandpa Gene's for the night while Matt and I went
to "Heirs Together" . . . a follow-up to the Marriage Advance that our church held in February. It was a neat
session and we are looking forward to the next ones. On Friday she had to go to the dentist office . . . and
ended up having to have a tooth pulled. No fun, but glad we got it taken care of! The dentist also told us that
she would be a sure candidate for braces, so she's not too excited about that! She was a little wiped out after
that, but a couple hours of rest and she was ready to go! Friday night we took her out for pizza and then bowling
and lazer tag with the Rolfes girls. They had a blast with the glow-in-the-dark balls and shoes, etc . . . and they
loved the lazer tag!! We had to take her back again last night because she wanted to play again! Friday night
Kiona got to spend the night . . . boy, do they just love being together. Saturday we met Theresa for breakfast in
Coralville before going to get our hair done by Lee Ann. Both of us got our hair cut the same! We love it! It's
short and fun. After our hair do's, we went to Old Navy shopping, so she could spend her birthday gift certificate.
That was a fun trip, but she had to learn a hard lesson about how to only spend the amount of the certificate. I
did break down a little and got her a shirt that I thought was really cute, but I wouldn't buy her everything that she
wanted!! (I'd be broke!). After shopping, she got to go fishing with her dad and Grandpa Gene before Grandma
Mimi and I came and took her to the Egg Roll House (yet another favorite). After dinner, we took her to see
Scooby Doo 2. We wanted to see the Prince and Me, but they were sold out. Scooby Doo was actually pretty
good. That was a busy day! Yesterday we got up and went to church. Then Amber went to basketball with her
dad until I came and took her to her eye doctor appointment. The doctor said she doesn't need glasses, so
that was good! After that appointment, we ate some Zio Johno's (yes, a favorite) and took her back to play Lazer
Tag. Afterwards, we came home and had some apple pie and ice cream and got her packed up and this
morning she took off! Yes, it went fast . . . but we sure did pack a lot into one week!
Wed night our friend came over and texturized our bathroom walls and tomorrow night Tom is coming to lay the
tile. YEAH! The bathroom is finally coming together!! I was hoping to have the paint done BEFORE the floor,
but with the week we just had, you can see why that didn't happen! This week I have to go to Columbia, so I
probably won't get to paint . . . and this coming weekend we are going to my parents, so painting might not
happen for a while! Oh well, we'd rather spend the time with family!
Hope everyone is doing well. Sorry that I didn't get this updated sooner. I finally got some more wedding
pictures posted, so be sure to check those out here. Drop us a line!!
Thursday, March 18th
Hello. How is everyone? Matt and I are doing great. We are making some progress on our bathroom.
Last weekend we got all the drywall up and this week Matt is mudding -- maybe texturizing this weekend
so that I can paint! Yeah! Floor and shower tile will be next -- hey, then we can get the toilet back in there!
Yahoo! What a project. I have found out that I am not like my parents when it comes to projects. They do
projects for fun, I do projects out of necessity. There's just so many other things we want to do!! :)
I've heard some people say that we need more pictures on this site, and I completely agree with you. I'll
see what I can do about that. Hey, maybe I could take some pics of the bathroom so you can be an eye
witness to the progress!!
We started looking for land last week so that we can build our log cabin home. Pretty excited about that.
We are looking at acreages with a pond and timber. I want it to be "away", but not too far from a grocery
store. :)
Next week our church is hosting a night for married couples called "Heirs Together". It's on Thursday
night and is a follow-up to the marriage advance that we had back in February. I got so much good
information from the advance, and I'm excited that they are doing a follow-up to it. If you are interested in
going, it's open to anyone and is great for all couples -- newly married or married a long time, or engaged
couples.
Amber comes on Monday -- can't wait for her to get here. She's only here a short week, but it will be good
to have her here.
Monday, March 8th
Good morning! Wow, we went to see The Passion of the Christ last night. Yes, it was graphic, but it
showed what Jesus did for us --- the price He paid -- for you and I. It's an amazing demonstration of His
love for us. I'm so inspired and I pray that every person who sees the movie who doesn't have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ and has not given his or her life over to Jesus will want to after seeing what
He did for us. It's incredible. If you live in the Cedar Rapids area, and you have questions about the movie,
God, the Bible or the gospels -- you are invited to a discussion group that our church is having. It's a small
group format where Pastor is going to be available to answer questions that may have come up. It's
Sunday nights at 6 PM for 3 weeks starting next Sunday. You do NOT have to be a member of Spirit of
Faith Family Church to come to the discussion group.
Saturday was Matt's birthday and it started off with HIM cooking ME breakfast? I don't know how that
worked out . . . but it did! Matt played in a Euchre tournament (Make-A-Wish fundraiser) and then we
watched the Hawkeye game at Cedar Brewing. Wow, what a game! Go Hawks!! We went out for Mexican
with Sue (Matt's mom) and Tom (her husband), and then did some "Extreme Bowling". This was a new
one for me. We had glow in the dark shoes and balls -- it was pretty fun!
I can honestly say that I don't know when my next business trip is going to be. Yahoo!! That's such a
great thing to be able to say!
Monday, March 1st
Wow, it's March already. Spring seems to be in the air. We are having 60 degree weather in Iowa!!
YEAH!! Matt and I had a good week last week traveling together. We had productive meetings and got
much accomplished, but it was a LONG week. We were gone 5 days, and that's a lot. Friday night I went
home to visit my parents. We went out to eat in Peoria, meeting up with a couple that they had met on
their Ixtapa trip. It was fun to meet them and after dinner we went to Martinis, where "Stephanie" was
singing. Stephanie is the daughter of another couple who was on their trip. It was entertaining. Saturday
morning my mom and I went over to my Grandma's for a visit, which was nice. We had lunch at Camille's
in Pekin which was very good, and that day I also got to meet my cousin Aaryn's baby, Camden. What a
sweet baby. I thought holding him would be my baby fix, but I think it's made it worse!! Ut oh. Haha. While
I was gone, Matt went to Des Moines to hang out with Greg B. They had a good time doing "guy stuff" I
guess. They watched the Iowa game and watched some movies and stuff. I came home late Saturday
night, was home on Sunday and I'm off again. This time to Annapolis for some more meetings. I think this
is going to be my last trip for a while (yeah!!). Matt is making some progress on the bathroom remodeling
project. We got the concrete board up a week ago, so now the plumber is coming tonight to install the
faucets on the tub and shower. I think that means Matt is going to test out the whirlpool first!! BOO! Oh
well. Tomorrow night his dad is coming over to hang drywall. Fun, fun. Can't wait till this project is done!
I think it would be wise for us to hire out the kitchen project if we want to get that done in the next 2
years!! (I wish I was joking!).
Saturday is Matt's birthday. Not sure what we are doing yet to celebrate it. HMM . . . maybe sushi at Three
Samuri? Yummy!
I talked to Amber yesterday. She is doing well. She was watching Lord of the Rings, Twin Towers. She
comes back on March 20 for a week. Can't wait to see her.
Tuesday, February 17th
Valentine's Day was wonderful this year! We spent the weekend at the Marriage Advance at our church,
and it was so awesome. Our young 5 1/2 mo old marriage was enriched! We learned a lot and can't wait
for the monthly sessions that they are going to start having. Valentine's night we went out to dinner with
Brian, Stacy, Katie and Ellie. Restaurants are insane on Valentine's, so we opted for Al & Irene's -- and got
right in! ;) After dinner, Matt and I went to the mall to shop for our $10 gifts for each other. We've had so
much fun with the cheap date idea. I got him a karaoke CD of Romantic Duets, which he loved, but we
have yet to test it out. He got me slipper socks -- MEDIUM. HAHAHAHA. If you don't get it, watch the Ref :)
It was a blast. While at the mall, we had our caricatures drawn in one of those little photo booths (fun).
After the great gift exchange, we went over to PlanetX for a round of mini-golf. Lots of fun and we want to
go back there and climb the wall. Last stop was Barnes and Noble for a little relaxation. It was my best
Valentine's Day by far.
Today is a beautiful day! Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 40's! Whoohoo!! I'm sure my parents who
just spent a week in Mexico aren't thinking that's too warm, but sure sounds warm to me! Matt is in
Seattle today until tomorrow. Next week we get to travel together :) I like it when that happens.
Have you heard about the movie "The Passion of the Christ" -- a Mel Gibson film? It's getting much
attention in the media. I can't wait to see it. If you live in the Cedar Rapids area and you would like to go to
the movie, our church has rented out one of the theaters at Wynnsong 12 for March 7th at 4:00. Advance
vouchers are available . . . and are going fast! The vouchers are $5, first come, first serve. The vouchers
will be used to redeem a ticket the day of the movie. I am selling the vouchers for church, so if you're
interested, the easiest thing to do is either drop me a note with a time that you could stop by and pick up
the vouchers, or drop me a check in the mail and I will mail you the vouchers (email me for my address).
We're really excited to go see it. I might go see it twice just because the first time I think I'll be in shock.
Thursday, February 12th
Hello :) I worked at home every day this week until today, which is just so nice. After being in our home
office for 3 days, of course I had to re-arrange everything (which my husband I think actually appreciated!
:) Ever since I moved into that house, we have had a serious closet shortage, so I made room last night in
the office for a new wardrobe. Maybe Matt will get one for his birthday? :) We are ready for one! That
should help with the closet issue. We are also getting our garage cleaned out and getting rid of lots of old
furniture that we don't need (we're giving it to someone). I just told Matt last night that I can't believe how
long it has taken me to get adjusted in our house. I am just now starting to feel settled since the wedding.
I guess it's because of all the traveling that I've been doing . . . which, by the way . . . is going to start
DECREASING!! YEAH!! I moved into a Project Management role a couple weeks ago, which should
ultimately mean LESS TRAVEL!!! God truly does answer prayers! With this one move, God is answering at
least SIXTEEN of my prayer requests! WOW! We get happy when we "kill two birds with one stone" . . .
God can kill 16 and probably more with one! Praise the Lord.
This weekend Matt and I are attending a "Marriage Advance" at our church. We are going to learn how to
be better spouses to each other. We are really looking forward to it. Last weekend we had a date night.
We came up with this competition that both of us had to think of a surprise for each other that only cost
$5. I went out and got a cheap sled . . . his surprise was that we were going sledding! It was so much
fun. We got all bundled up and went. We didn't last very long (it's tough going up and down that hill when
you're out of shape!), but we had a blast. Matt's surprise for me was a baby rose bush with white roses
(my favorite). I can plant it this spring. What a sweetie. For Valentine's, we are doing something similar,
but this time we get to spend $10!! Whoo-hoo, big spenders we are :) No, it just forces us to be creative if
we can't just go out and buy something for each other.
Thursday, January 29th
If anyone has figured out how to add more hours to the day, could you let me know? Sheesh. There just
always seems to be so much going on!! :) Well, last week as I was flying home from New Jersey, Matt
was flying out to Columbia. Matt got home very late on Friday night (after midnight!!). Thursday night we
found out that Amber was in town. Sadly, her aunt was in a tragic car accident and was at the University
Hospital. It was such a surprise to learn that she was here. Too bad Matt was in Columbia on Friday! I got
to have lunch with Candy (Amber's mom) and Amber, Natalie & Kayla (Amber's sisters) on Friday, and
then Amber came and hung out at the office for the afternoon. I know...not real exciting...but she was glad
to get away from the hotel. On Saturday, Sue (Matt's mom), Matt and I took Amber out to lunch. It's
always so good to see her and so hard since we don't get to see her very often. Please keep Candy's
family in your prayers as it was decided to take her sister off life support on Monday.
Monday I went to Dallas for the Intermec Sales and Partner Conference. Great time. Tuesday night they
put on event called "Club Reality" where they had different rooms set up like different Reality TV shows.
There was a rock climbing wall for "Survivor" along with one of the finalist from Survivor Amazon -- I think
her name was Heidi?? For Fear Factor, they had a mechanical bull and a pit of racing armadillos. Then,
Joe Millionaire was there! Yep, got my picture taken with Evan. He seemed like an alright guy. There was
also "World Idol" a play off of American Idol, which was a kareokee room, which unfortunately . . . we took
part in!! It was a fun trip, but don't get me wrong -- it was not all play!! :)
Monday, January 19th
Wow, it's already Monday! Time seems to go by so fast -- must be because I'm having so much fun? We
had a great weekend. I got to meet Baby Ian -- Ted and Trish B's new little one. He is awesome -- very
good baby, hardly made a sound while we were there. Ted and Trish seem to be doing pretty well, and
Owen was a lot of fun. I got to play Captain Hook and Hercules with him and afterwards, he wanted us to
stay the night! :) My mom was here Saturday and Sunday. We went to the spa -- ah, what a treat! Did
some shopping too -- such great deals going on right now! It was a good weekend, but hard to believe it's
over already! This week I'm in New Jersey Tuesday through Thursday, and Matt is in Columbia Thursday
and Friday. He gets home late Friday night, we'll see each other 2 days and then I leave for Dallas on
Monday until Wednesday! Yes, the travel for this year has begun!
Wednesday, January 14th
Hi there. Here's the latest. Monday was my mom's birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!) and tomorrow is
Jesse Warner's birthday (Happy Birthday Jesse!). This Saturday my mom is coming up for a day of
shopping and going to the spa! I can hardly wait!
We're a little bummed at the results of the Rams game last week. We have no clue what is going to
happen with Kurt next year. Some say that he's going to stay in St. Louis, who knows?
If you haven't heard, our friends Ted and Trisha Borelli had their baby on December 31st. They had a baby
boy and named him Ian. I have yet to meet Ian, but I can hardly wait!! Also, our friends Mark and Gretchen
Brown had their baby . . . also a boy, Benjamin. Can't wait to meet him either!
My cousin Aaryn is due in February too! There are just babies all around! (Good thing because I get my
baby fix!!)
Glad to hear from some of you who are checking out the web site! Please send any suggestions that you
have on how to improve this site, or just drop us an e-mail! We are striving to keep in better touch with all
our family and friends this year!! Many blessings to you in 2004!
Thursday, January 8th
It's snowing again tonight (BRR!). At least it's above zero, unlike earlier this week! I was supposed to go
to Columbia this week, but I cancelled my trip due to weather in Chicago. Nice to be home all this week!
Things in 2004 are starting a lot like how 2003 ended -- BUSY!! Now work is getting busy too, so life is a
little crazy right now, but I'm not complaining. :)
Amber made it home safely. We had a good time with her while she was here, but it was too short (as
always!) Actually, her trip got delayed an extra day due to weather, so that was nice!
We'll be in St. Louis this weekend for the Rams game. We're hoping to see Kurt in as QB, but we'll see!
The trip down and back should be a little better this time because Matt got satellite radio this week -- so
we'll should be able to listen to ESPN all the way down and back. Cool!!
Wednesday, December 31st
We are in the midst of what we are calling "Christmas Tour 2003". We figured out in the 9 days that
Amber is here, she is going to celebrate 8 Christmas's!! Wow, she is one blessed child. We have been to
Morton for lots of fun,, down to St. Louis for more good times (PICS HERE), and spent last night at Gene
and Mimi's. Today we head to Sue and Tom's for Christmas there and tonight we go to church and then
celebrate the New Year!! I am believing that 2004 will be a year of more relaxation!!! :) Things should
slow down in Januray for us. Hope you are finding the website helpful in keeping up communication. I've
heard from a few of you that you enjoy it, so that's good. Please send me any comments or suggestions .
. . or just an e-mail to catch up! My new e-mail address is katie@warnerland.com. Talk to you soon! K
Sunday, December 14th
Wow, this week just flew by! I was in Columbia, MD most of the week. Friday night we had our Christmas
Banquet at church, which was a lot of fun. Hope to have pics soon. Matt and I got the majority of our
Christmas shopping done this weekend and this week we will be working on putting the Adopt A Family
gifts together this week. Such fun! Also, God hooked us up with a plumber, so we are going to be able to
make some progress on the bathroom remodeling this week (thank you Lord!!). We are putting in a
shower upstairs and a whirlpool tub!! I don't have to travel now until January, so I'm looking forward to
the time home . . . Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 7th
Is the weekend over already? Yesterday we helped with crafts for the Christmas Banquet at our church,
Spirit of Faith Family Church. See pics here. Then, last night we had a DSI Reunion at Gus'. View the pics.
Friday, December 5th
Our web page is born! Check it out and check back often for updates.
